Stay tuned for new posts on Chuck Prophet, Kathleen Edwards, Sons of Bill, MCA, Doc Watson, and much, much more! Maybe even a website redesign?!? Thanks for reading!!!
My Aimz is True turns TWO today. Happy birthday to me! Thank you to all of the readers who indulge in my vanity and actually read the crap that I post. I will always celebrate my blog anniversary by posting some Pavement and Stephen Malkmus. Today I hit shuffle on Media Monkey, and these were the first two Pavement/SM tracks to pop up. Cheers!
I have a lot of crap going on this week, including the fact that I haven't done my lousy taxes yet (due April 30 in Canada), so I don't have a ton of time to blog. Here is a review of the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There that I wrote after seeing it at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007. I watched this film again last Saturday night, and I like it more every time I see it. I wonder if Bob has ever seen it?
I caught the second screening of I'm Not There, the biopic of Bob Dylan directed by Todd Haynes, at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2007. It gave me a huge headache. Not the film exactly, but from the venue. To accommodate the large audience, I'm Not There was screened in a ~700 person lecture hall at Ryerson University. I was in line to get in to the sold out show a half hour early, but apparently not early enough. I had to sit in the 4th row from the front, and by the time hour two rolled around, my back and neck were killing me and my eyes hurt from being so close. Being a lecture hall, there was no reclining seating that the theatre industry has spoiled me with for the last decade. Plus, no vending! GASP! No popcorn! And, the screening was at 12:30 pm so I came to the screening directly from work, and I didn't get lunch and was very hungry.
Crappy venue aside, the film is pretty amazing (even though I was tuning out during the last half hour). The acting is superb. Cate Blanchett is astonishing! She should be a shoo-in for Best Actress this year (Edit: she didn't win!). Christian Bale is amazing too - didn't recognize him at first - as is the 11-year-old Marcus Carl Franklin. Mr. Franklin has quite an acting career ahead of him. And, you get to see Heath Ledger (mostly) naked, so what's not to like?
Its definitely an artsy-fartsy movie, very non-linear and not for the average joe-blow American/Canadian. I tried to imagine my conservative, small-town-America father, who is a 'Nam vet and a graduate of the college class of '69, watching this movie without being completely confused. I can hear him saying, "What is this crap? I don't get it." However, Dylan fans will love it. Non-Dylan fans who appreciate film as an art form will really dig it too. But it is long. Although, in retrospect, I am wondering if my perception of its length was due to my bad seat. I mean, I sat through three hours of Lord of the friggin Rings with no complaints.
The Characters (in rough order of appearance in the film, although the characters do jump around in time and some characters overlap):
1) Marcus Carl Franklin – "Woody Guthrie" – 1959, 11 year old boy, film shot in color. Metaphor for Dylan's early life on how he started to learn how the world really worked, and how he started to form ideas and transfer these thoughts to song. Woody, originally from the fictional town of Riddle, Missouri, is hopping trains with hobos and traveling around the country. Very moving scene where he visits the real ailing Woody Guthrie in the hospital and strums guitar for him.
2) Ben Wishaw – "Arthur" – 19 year old Dylan, early 1960s, shot in black and white. Smallest role. Dylan as a young, rebellious, somewhat naive poet. Its only him and some cigarettes on the screen. Like he is being interviewed or interrogated. Sort of narrates the film, but not really.
3) Heath Ledger – "Robbie Clark" – Dylan from circa 1964 to 1977, mostly focusing on his personal life and marriage to "Claire" (played by Charlotte Gainsborough), a very loose interpretation of Sara Lowlands and probably an amalgamation of other women in Dylan's life. Shot in grainy color to reflect the time period. "Robbie Clark" is a famous actor and actually plays "Jack Rollins" (Christian Bale's Dylan) in one of his film roles. Actor as a metaphor for the perils of fame. Robbie is constantly away from his family working (touring?) on film productions, and has many extra-marital flings while on the "road." Robbie and Claire's rocky relationship and marital problems are mirrored by the Vietnam war.
4) Christian Bale – "Jack Rollins" – Dylan from 1961-62 and jumps to his conversion to Christianity (~1974). 60s "footage" is in black and white, 70s "footage" is in grainy color like above, while the present day is in color. Told from the perspective of a present day documentary reflected through the eyes of people who knew him "back then." Notably, Julianne Moore plays the character "Alice Fabian" who is a present day Joan Baez. 1970s evangelist Rollins is awesome.
5) Cate Blanchett – "Jude Quin" – when Dylan goes electric in 1965-66. Black and white. Best impression of Dylan as he is classically known (big hair, sunglasses, wears all black). How he deals with the backlash of going electric at the "New England Folk Festival." Follows his drug use and his fighting with the press, especially the BBC. Hysterical scene of implied drug use with the Beatles. Blanchett just nails his mannerisms and quirkiness. Michelle Williams plays the fashionable blond Coco Rivington, who is a metaphor for Edie Sedgwick . Another hysterical scene with drugged-up Dylan and Alan Ginsberg (played by David Cross), dancing around a ten foot crucifix, and Dylan yells at the stone Jesus, "Play your old stuff!" The segment ends with Dylan's infamous motorcycle crash.
6) Richard Gere – "William 'Billy' McMaster" – grizzled, late in life, maybe takes place back in the late 50s? Color. Reclusive "Billy the Kid," who takes on "Commissioner Garrett" who wants to plow over his town of Riddle, Missouri, to build a superhighway. He meets young "Woody Guthrie" (Franklin) who begs him to take on Garrett. Garrett is also a metaphor for all of the reporters who have hounded Dylan for most of his life. Billy argues with Garrett, and ultimately loses, but he realizes that there are still things worth fighting for. He hops a train, finds his guitar, and keeps on keepin' on. The movie comes full circle.
The soundtrack looks incredible, and will be released in North America on October 30. The soundtrack consists of most of my favorite rock and Americana bands, indie and otherwise (Eddie Vedder, Iron and Wine, Jeff Tweedy, Willie Nelson, The Hold Steady, among others). Sonic Youth does a bitchin' cover of "I'm Not There" in the ending credits. But, fear not Dylan fans, most of Dylan's originals are intact in the film. I'm Not There opens in New York and Los Angeles on November 21, and in Toronto on November 28. I can't wait to see this film again. Here's to hoping that my initial reaction was entirely due to my bad seat. (Edit: It was!)
Tunes from the soundtrack that appear in the film:
Jim James & Calexico - Goin' to Acapulco.mp3 Fantastic scene in the Richard Gere/Billy segment where singer Jim James of My Morning Jacket sings this song and leads a band (eclectic indie rockers Calexico) during a daunting funeral march.
Richie Havens - Tombstone Blues.mp3 In what what can only be described as casting brilliance, Havens appears in the film playing this song along with young Woody (Franklin).
Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers - Ballad of a Thin Man.mp3 Cate Blanchett/Jude lip syncs to Malkmus for all of his (her?) singing scenes. Awesome. The Million Dollar Bashers serve as a "house band" for the soundtrack. They are a super group consisting of guitarist Lee Ranaldo and drummer Steve Shelly of Sonic Youth, guitarist Nels Kline of Wilco, guitarist Tom Verlaine, keyboardist John Medeski, and bassist Tony Garnier (Bob Dylan's current bassist).
John Doe - Pressing On.mp3 Christian Bale/Jack lip syncs to Doe for his "born again" scene. Also Awesome.
Edit: I wanted to post this yesterday, but the Zunepocalypse of 2008 made me freak out and I didn't finish it in time.
Its really hard to put these lists together, and on a given day/hour I can change my mind about the order of any of these albums, but this is what I submitted to the AltCountryTab message board for their annual Gambler Awards. I think this list is slightly biased towards the bands I saw live this year (see #4, 5, 6, 9). You can't go wrong with any of these albums.
Rockstar Aimz' Favorite Albums of 2008 1. Drag the River - You Can't Live This Way What a solid alt country album. I unfortunately did not discover this band until 2008, even though they have been putting out albums for more than a decade. One of my buddies gave me this album and I put it in my Zune on a playlist with all of my other 2008 releases and hit shuffle. I would listen to this playlist while doing my tasks at work, and every time I heard a song that I really liked I would look at the player, and four out of five times it was from this album. The band incorporates everything you would want in a rock/country album: in addition to the standard electric and acoustic guitars, they incorporate pedal steel, rock piano, and even a horn section. Chad Price and Jon Snodgrass take turns with songwriting and lead vocals, and their voices seamlessly harmonize on several tracks. This album reminds me a bit of early Son Volt, with songs that examine the themes of isolation and desperation in a small town, growing old before your time, and, of course, heartaches and headaches. There are rumors on the internets that this will be Drag the River's last album. That would be a shame, especially since these guys are new to me this year. Let's hope for another release before I finish digging through their back catalog.
Standout tracks: "Death of the Life of the Party," "Caleb's Grave," "Br00tal," "Lizzy," "Bad Side of a Good Time"
2. Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers Ottawa based songstress Edwards delivers a wonderful country/folk collection on Asking for Flowers. Edwards frequently incorporates bits of Canadiana into her songs (hockey, CBC), and tells gorgeous and heartbreaking stories in other tunes. "Alicia Ross" is the song of the year. See my post about this song from August 31.
See the video for "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory" which features a hockey game with former NHL players Marty McSorley and Paul Coffey, and Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo.
3. Matthew Ryan - Matthew Ryan vs. the Silver State Not to be confused with Matt Ryan, the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, though I wish the singer/songwriter was as famous as the first round draft pick out of Boston College. Matthew has been composing rock and alt country music for over 10 years, sometimes recording in his home and releasing his music on his web site. This album further cements Ryan's talent as a genius songwriter, with his distinctive raspy voice pushing through ballads and belting out the rock and/or roll. My favorite lyric is from "Could Have Been Worse." Her mascara was born to run. Awesome.
4. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive Another great album from our favorite Brooklyn via Minneapolis bar band. Although not as good as 2006's Boys and Girls in America, its still damn solid. I do have a few issues with this album - please see yesterday's post, (Trying To) Stay Positive.
5. Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins Okkervil River was big cheaters on this album. Most of it was recorded at the same time that they recorded The Stage Names, so naturally this album is more of the same, which is a very, very good thing. But since they released two albums instead of a double album (see #6, Brighter Than Creation's Dark), they (presumably) sold twice as many albums and toured twice as much in support of these albums. The music business is rough, and you gotta do what you gotta do. I was just happy to see them live twice in 2008 (and twice in 2007), as they are one of the best live acts going today. My big issue with this album is the crappy instrumentals, which I call The Fill-Ins. But those three are less than a minute long each. The rest of the album contains eight very solid indie rock tunes.
6. Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark Its always a good year when the Drive-By Truckers release an album. This double album is so diverse and so strong at points, but I can't help thinking what a huge album this would have been if you took the ten best tracks and added the best tracks from former Trucker Jason Isbell's 2007 release, Sirens of the Ditch. But a great man once said, "You can wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one gets filled first," so let me get back to the review. Even without Isbell, the Truckers still have three lead singers, this time bassist Shonna Tucker sings lead on her songs "I'm Sorry Houston," and "Home Field Advantage," which adds a really nice quality to the mix of country and rock songs. Mike Cooley performs some of his strongest songs yet, which is saying a lot from this gifted musician (see "3 Dimes Down"). "That Man I Shot," by Patterson Hood is such an incendiary song that I call it the Iraq War generation's version of CCR's classic "Fortunate Son."
7. Two Cow Garage - Speaking in Cursive "You were speaking in cursive, I was pretending to care. She spoke constantly, and ironically, never ending hipster fare. Of movies and poets and writers no ones ever heard of or seen. So many words so loudly, somehow never saying a thing."
And in one verse, singer Micah Schnabel summarizes every date I had in 2008. I do not understand why this band isn't more popular. I should have rated this one higher.
8. Chris Mills - Living in the Aftermath Mills (not to be confused with former NBA forward Chris Mills) is another artist who has been putting out albums for over a decade who I just discovered this year. Someone described him to me as Rhett Miller meets Will Sheff, and this is sort of the case, as Mills blends alt country with indie rock and has a similar vocal tone to both of these artists. And I love both the Old 97's and Okkervil River, and therefore I love Chris Mills. Every time I listen to this album I find something new. Like Drag the River, I can't wait to dig into Mill's back catalog too.
9. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash Malkmus's lyrics are getting weirder as he gets older, and that's saying a lot coming from the former head of Pavement. This album is so happy and fun. A great summer album for me. Lots of spastic jangly guitar and some extended jams from our indie rock hero Steve.
10. Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind If you like country music but hate Nashville radio, then this album is perfect for you. The hysterical track "She Left Me For Jesus" has been garnering Mr. Carll a lot of attention, but, even though that song is great, it is not representative of the album. The rest of the album is classic country with tales of heartaches, troubles, and woes, with some sweet guitar and banjo to boot.
If you are "international" like me, don't order this album off of Carll's web site. Whoever distributes Mr. Carll's albums stiffed me $17 for "international" shipping. The CD cost less than the shipping. Compare this to when I ordered The Stand-Ins from Okkervil River's label Jagjaguwar. $13 for the CD, plus two posters and a sticker, and it included shipping.
The more things change the more they stay the same with our indie rock hero Steve. At age 42 he is still an awkward geek, he still has hair that flops in his face when he is rocking out, and he still wails on the guitar. He and his band The Jicks took the stage while Steve remarked, "This is nice that its not a festival. At least there is air conditioning here." Then they blasted into "Gardenia," one of the more poppy tracks off of their newest album Real Emotional Trash.
The highly entertaining show drew heavily off of Real Emotional Trash, performing all but two tracks. Several songs featured extended guitar jams and improvs, channeling Malkmus's inner stoner-rocker. The musicians really enjoyed themselves, with lots of funny banter between songs. Drummer Janet Weiss, formerly of Sleater-Kinney, was completely focused during the tunes, with her head down, a fan blowing her hair up, pounding out the beats. Mike Clark switched between keyboards and guitar, and at one point was rocking out on top of the speakers. Malkmus also said that they were traveling without guitar techs, and spent a few seconds between each song retuning his instrument. Although I don't play guitar, I have read that Malkmus uses unusual tunings, especially with the new album.
Malkmus dedicated, "We Can't Help You," to Jose Calderon of the Toronto Raptors, and then commented that he is worried about the Jermaine O'Neal trade. It is well known that Malkmus is an avid sports fan. He even did a fantasy baseball preview for eMusic. But I've never heard sports talk during a rock concert before. Awesome.
For their last track, Malkmus became the right reverend of indie rock, preaching, "I would like to quote from Leviticus 74. Thou shalt not fuck with the American dollar." And then lamented the fall of Mike Myers and his crappy new movie Love Guru, before blasting into his classic, "Church on White." Amen brother.
Set List: 1. Gardenia - Real Emotional Trash (2008) 2. It Kills - Face the Truth (2005) 3. Phantasies - Stephen Malkmus (2001) 4. Dragonfly Pie - Real Emotional Trash 5. Elmo Delmo - Real Emotional Trash extended jam (I noticed some people blatantly blazing up during this song) 6. Out of Reaches - Real Emotional Trash 7. Baltimore - Real Emotional Trash extended jam 8. The "World Debut" of a new track - missed the name 9. (Do Not Feed The) Oysters - Pig Lib (2003) "that last track was a rough cut, and this one is the Criterion Collection," Jicks mutli-instrumentalist Mike Clark 10. We Can't Help You - Real Emotional Trash 11. Real Emotional Trash - Real Emotional Trash extended jam 12. Cold Son - Real Emotional Trash 13. Jo Jo's Jacket - Stephen Malkmus
Encore 14. missed it :( 15. Alright, Alright, Alright (Mungo Jerry cover) 16. Church on White - Stephen Malkmus
When I was walking from the streetcar stop to the venue, I noticed all kinds of young people going in the opposite direction. Where were all of these people headed? I found out when I got to the Phoenix that Fleet Foxes were no-shows. Lots of people were demanding their money back and being downright surly about it. I was sort of stunned by this reaction. Yeah, Fleet Foxes are a good band. In fact, their song "White Winter Hymnal" is among the most gorgeous songs of the year. But please, these guys barely have enough original music to round out an opening set, and people were going to skip a show by a man who has two decades of rock and probably 200+ original tracks under his belt? WTF?
A local band called Still Life Still filled in at the last minute. I know nothing about them, but according to the box office at the Phoenix, they are project of Kevin Drew's of Broken Social Scene. They looked so young! I was wondering if the two singers/guitarists were even old enough to shave. They said that they were asked that afternoon if they could perform (for Stephen Malkmus? Hells yeah!), and they got a very short sound check. And, it was by far the largest venue they had ever played. The Phoenix has a capacity of 1100, while their gig the following night at Clinton's Tavern has a capacity of 200. Although they had some sound issues and seemed nervous as hell, they gave it their all, and what more can you ask for?
Everyone assumed that the Fleet Foxes got held up at the border, which unfortunately happens to a lot of bands coming from the US to Canada. However, they played the night before in Montreal, so the border was obviously not the problem. Jicks' bassist Joanna Bolme said, "they just didn't show," claiming that they had a long drive from "Alberta," which, I am assuming, is code for Quebec. "We have NEVER had a long drive before," she and other members of the Jicks sarcastically piped in. Then she said, "PLEASE, the king of slack is in our band." Malkmus publicly thanked Still Life Still and their "Canadian work ethic" and said that he enjoyed their set. And then he ripped on Montreal. After a few more quips by the Jicks, Malkmus busted into the refrain from Toto's Africa. Long live the geek king of slack. White Winter Hymnal.mp3 Buy: Fleet Foxes
I also want to give a plug to J. Tillman, the current drummer for Fleet Foxes who has done some amazing solo work. You can download tracks and purchase his latest album Cancer and Delirium from Yer Bird Records.
Stephen Malkmus is arguably the alpha male of indie rock. He formed the seminal lo-fi indie band Pavement with some of his Northern California buddies in 1989. Their demo recordings bounced around a few years before they were picked up by Matador to record their first official release. Slanted and Enchanted was released in 1992, and while sales weren't exactly brisk, the music was hugely influential on a new generation of rock musicians. In 2005 Spin magazine name Slanted and Enchanted #4 in its list of top 100 albums of the last 20 years, while Rolling Stone ranked its #134 of the top 500 greatest albums of all time. Even after its deluxe reissue in 2002, the album has only sold around 150,000 copies (2003 estimate from Rolling Stone). Compare that with another influential album that came out in the early 90s, Nevermind, which sold 7.6 millions copies (2003 numbers, probably up to 9 million by now).
Pavement's next album, 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, nearly got them to the mainstream with their minor radio hit "Cut Your Hair." Although this album contained a lot more pop-sounding songs than its predecessor, it still sold poorly. After three more full length releases, the band spit up in 1999.
Since then Malkmus has gone on to record four solo albums, although all four of these "solo" releases have been backed the Malkmus's band, The Jicks. The solo releases have all been generally well received, and have continued and grown on Pavement's style of literate but sometimes goofy lyrics, jangly guitar solos, and rock/pop sensibilities. In 2008 Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks released Real Emotional Trash, which, in addition to having some great pop licks, is also kind of trippy and weird (in a good way) with lots of guitar and a bit of a jam-band vibe. It is currently in my rotation as the soundtrack to my summer.
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks are playing at the Phoenix in Toronto on Wed., July 16, with current indie darlings, Fleet Foxes, supporting.
I have a lot of crap going on this week, including the fact that I haven't done my lousy taxes yet (due April 30 in Canada), so I don't have a ton of time to blog. Here is a review of the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There that I wrote after seeing it at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007. I watched this film again last Saturday night, and I like it more every time I see it. I wonder if Bob has ever seen it?
What a solid alt country album. I unfortunately did not discover this band until 2008, even though they have been putting out albums for more than a decade. One of my buddies gave me this album and I put it in my Zune on a playlist with all of my other 2008 releases and hit shuffle. I would listen to this playlist while doing my tasks at work, and every time I heard a song that I really liked I would look at the player, and four out of five times it was from this album. The band incorporates everything you would want in a rock/country album: in addition to the standard electric and acoustic guitars, they incorporate pedal steel, rock piano, and even a horn section. Chad Price and Jon Snodgrass take turns with songwriting and lead vocals, and their voices seamlessly harmonize on several tracks. This album reminds me a bit of early Son Volt, with songs that examine the themes of isolation and desperation in a small town, growing old before your time, and, of course, heartaches and headaches. There are rumors on the internets that this will be Drag the River's last album. That would be a shame, especially since these guys are new to me this year. Let's hope for another release before I finish digging through their back catalog.
Ottawa based songstress Edwards delivers a wonderful country/folk collection on Asking for Flowers. Edwards frequently incorporates bits of Canadiana into her songs (hockey, CBC), and tells gorgeous and heartbreaking stories in other tunes. "Alicia Ross" is the song of the year. See my post about this song from August 31.
(Amazon, US)
Not to be confused with Matt Ryan, the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, though I wish the singer/songwriter was as famous as the first round draft pick out of Boston College. Matthew has been composing rock and alt country music for over 10 years, sometimes recording in his home and releasing his music on his web site. This album further cements Ryan's talent as a genius songwriter, with his distinctive raspy voice pushing through ballads and belting out the rock and/or roll. My favorite lyric is from "Could Have Been Worse." Her mascara was born to run. Awesome.
Another great album from our favorite Brooklyn via Minneapolis bar band. Although not as good as 2006's Boys and Girls in America, its still damn solid. I do have a few issues with this album - please see yesterday's post, (Trying To) Stay Positive.
Okkervil River was big cheaters on this album. Most of it was recorded at the same time that they recorded The Stage Names, so naturally this album is more of the same, which is a very, very good thing. But since they released two albums instead of a double album (see #6, Brighter Than Creation's Dark), they (presumably) sold twice as many albums and toured twice as much in support of these albums. The music business is rough, and you gotta do what you gotta do. I was just happy to see them live twice in 2008 (and twice in 2007), as they are one of the best live acts going today. My big issue with this album is the crappy instrumentals, which I call The Fill-Ins. But those three are less than a minute long each. The rest of the album contains eight very solid indie rock tunes.
Its always a good year when the Drive-By Truckers release an album. This double album is so diverse and so strong at points, but I can't help thinking what a huge album this would have been if you took the ten best tracks and added the best tracks from former Trucker Jason Isbell's 2007 release, Sirens of the Ditch. But a great man once said, "You can wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one gets filled first," so let me get back to the review. Even without Isbell, the Truckers still have three lead singers, this time bassist Shonna Tucker sings lead on her songs "I'm Sorry Houston," and "Home Field Advantage," which adds a really nice quality to the mix of country and rock songs. Mike Cooley performs some of his strongest songs yet, which is saying a lot from this gifted musician (see "3 Dimes Down"). "That Man I Shot," by Patterson Hood is such an incendiary song that I call it the Iraq War generation's version of CCR's classic "Fortunate Son."
"You were speaking in cursive,
Mills (not to be confused with former NBA forward Chris Mills) is another artist who has been putting out albums for over a decade who I just discovered this year. Someone described him to me as Rhett Miller meets Will Sheff, and this is sort of the case, as Mills blends alt country with indie rock and has a similar vocal tone to both of these artists. And I love both the Old 97's and Okkervil River, and therefore I love Chris Mills. Every time I listen to this album I find something new. Like Drag the River, I can't wait to dig into Mill's back catalog too.
Malkmus's lyrics are getting weirder as he gets older, and that's saying a lot coming from the former head of Pavement. This album is so happy and fun. A great summer album for me. Lots of spastic jangly guitar and some extended jams from our indie rock hero Steve.
If you like country music but hate Nashville radio, then this album is perfect for you. The hysterical track "She Left Me For Jesus" has been garnering Mr. Carll a lot of attention, but, even though that song is great, it is not representative of the album. The rest of the album is classic country with tales of heartaches, troubles, and woes, with some sweet guitar and banjo to boot.
Concert Review: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
